Name: Greengage (Prunus domestica subsp. italica). A small, sweet, green-skinned plum cultivar — a specific variety of the European plum, not a different fruit from “plum” generally. Also called Reine Claude, particularly in French usage.
Description
The greengage takes its French name, Reine Claude, from Claude, queen consort to King Francis I in the 16th century, in whose gardens the variety was cultivated. It reached England sometime in the early 18th century, reputedly introduced by the Gage family of Suffolk, whose name became attached to the fruit when the original French label was lost in transit — giving the English name “greengage.”
Unlike most plums, which ripen into shades of red, purple, or yellow, the greengage stays green even when fully ripe, which historically made it tricky to judge for ripeness and kept it a comparatively niche, prized variety rather than a mass commercial crop. It is often considered one of the sweetest and most honeyed-tasting of all plum varieties when eaten at its peak.
Main nutrition value
No USDA entry exists for Greengage specifically, so the figures below are taken from the closest analysed relative on FoodData Central, a dark-skinned raw plum, as a general stand-in for Prunus domestica; actual Greengage values, particularly sugar content, may run somewhat sweeter. Per 100g:
| Name | Average Amount | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Proximates | ||
| Water | 84.9 | g |
| Energy (Atwater General Factors) | 59 | kcal |
| Energy (Atwater Specific Factors) | 53 | kcal |
| Nitrogen | 0.09 | g |
| Protein | 0.58 | g |
| Total lipid (fat) | 0.28 | g |
| Ash | 0.74 | g |
| Carbohydrate, by difference | 13.5 | g |
| Fiber, total dietary | 1.3 | g |
| Sugars, total | 7.96 | g |
| Sucrose | 4.46 | g |
| Fructose | 3.51 | g |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium, Ca | 4 | mg |
| Iron, Fe | <0.25 | mg |
| Magnesium, Mg | 6.6 | mg |
| Phosphorus, P | 19 | mg |
| Potassium, K | 186 | mg |
| Sodium, Na | <2.5 | mg |
| Zinc, Zn | 0.05 | mg |
| Copper, Cu | 0.054 | mg |
| Manganese, Mn | 0.04 | mg |
| Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | 1.8 | mg |
| Biotin | <0.5 | µg |
Like other Prunus domestica plums, greengages are a useful source of potassium and provide modest amounts of fiber and magnesium, with a lighter dose of vitamin C than tarter plum types.
How best to be consumed
Greengages are best eaten fresh, fully ripe, and slightly soft to the touch, since their sweetness only fully develops right at the end of ripening — unlike most plums, colour alone will not tell you when they are ready. They also make an excellent jam or tart, and their sweetness needs far less added sugar in cooking than tarter plum varieties.
Overconsumption could cause…
Eating a large quantity of any plum, greengages included, can bring on a mild laxative effect or bloating thanks to their fiber and natural sorbitol content. As with other stone fruits, the pit and its kernel contain cyanogenic compounds and should never be chewed or swallowed.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central — Plum, black, with skin, raw (FDC ID 2710837), used as the closest available substitute for Greengage, 100g portion: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2710837/nutrients Encyclopaedia Britannica — Plum (no dedicated Greengage article exists; the genus-level Plum article is used instead): https://www.britannica.com/plant/plum
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